Willow

Movie review by Pam Gelman, Common Sense Media
Willow Poster Image

Common Sense says

age 9+

Magic-filled fantasy adventure has monsters, battle scenes.

PG 1988 126 minutes
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Parents say

age 10+

Based on 26 reviews

Kids say

age 11+

Based on 11 reviews

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A Lot or a Little?

The parents' guide to what's in this movie.

Stands out for and .

What Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Willow is the beloved 1980s fantasy adventure that inspired a TV series almost 25 years later (also starring Warwick Davis). The movie stands out for its positive portrayals of little people, who make up the film's fictional race of "the Nelwyn." Expect lots of intense scenes of battle and conflict, some of which are lightened with humor. An evil queen (Jean Marsh) yells and threatens to kill a baby, plus some scary dog-like beasts and soldiers storm a village of innocents -- including kids -- but no one is shown seriously hurt. Some battles result in apparent deaths; there's a little blood, but nothing is lingered on or explicit. A couple of monsters are pretty creepy and put beloved characters in peril. Dead bodies, skeletons, and heads on pikes appear regularly, though without blood. In one scene, a man gropes at the breast of one of the lead characters who's disguised as a woman. There's some romantic kissing and a hint of infidelity. Expect a drunk character and a bit of potty humor, including use of the word "pee pee," a baby vomiting in a man's face, and gags involving animal feces.

Community Reviews

broisatse
broisatse Adult
February 6, 2022
age 12+

Quite a scary opening

A bit of a warning - in the opening scene, the evil queen is trying to kill a newborn girl (because of a prophecy), so she throws all pregnant women to the dungeons and checks every newborn girl for a magic mark. Once the girl is born, the midwife saves her and runs away with her tucked in laundry. The queen then kills the mother (given order - "kill her" followed by a scream) and sends the hounds after the midwife. The midwife manages to hide the girl, but then she's mauled by the hounds (which are actually a cross of wild boar and wolf) - you can see them jumping at her, biting her and then, from the distance, eating her body. We had to stop at this point as my 9yo was shaking and crying. That's the first few minutes of the movie - I know it gets much lighter after that, too bad we didn't get there.

This title has:

Too much violence
8 people found this helpful.
Piney Woods
Piney Woods Adult
January 9, 2016
age 18+

Boring +uncalled for sexy stuff+weirdo occult ritual stuff=just watch Lord of the Rings or some Studio Ghibli again

I saw this in the theaters when it came out; that's been a few years so I'd mostly forgotten what it was about. After we saw Warwick Davis in Prince Caspian, this movie came to mind, so we checked the reviews here and rented it. Strike one: banal dialogue and awkward pacing. Strike two: when Val Kilmer is in drag trying to hide from a cuckolded husband, the husband squeezes his "breast" and asks if he "wants to breed." Strike three: the long, long slog through the "ritual" the evil queen performs to neutralize the baby's power, or kill the baby, or make Orcs--I don't know because we finally abandoned ship after the "good guys" stormed the castle. It is somehow both disturbing (in that it looks like a Satanic ritual) and mind-numbingly dull. We all, including our child, are fans of many slow-paced films (Studio Ghibli, though Howl's Moving Castle was slow for them, and pointless to boot), but this bored us all. My only regret is watching as far as we did. My advice is to pass and watch "My Neighbor Totoro" for the younger kids or the Lord of the Rings trilogy for older kids who can handle the scary Orc stuff.

This title has:

Too much sex
Too much swearing
4 people found this helpful.
See all 26 parent reviews

What's the Story?

WILLOW (Warwick Davis) is a Nelwyn, a short-statured farmer and aspiring sorcerer. His children find a baby, a prophesied princess who's the chosen one to bring down the reign of terror by the evil Queen Bavmorda (Jean Marsh). The Nelwyn community is frightened by the baby -- which is a Daikini ("big person") -- and they command Willow to return the baby to its kind. But Willow has bonded with the baby, so he's reluctant to give her to the first Daikini adult he meets, a rogue named Madmartigan (Val Kilmer). Eventually the two pair up to save the baby, meeting brownies, a kind sorceress, and other allies along the way.

Is It Any Good?

This beloved 1980s adventure will surely be of interest to any fantasy lover. There's no more violence in Willow than in Harry Potter or Star Wars -- in fact, there's probably less. Directed by Ron Howard and based on a story by George Lucas, it's a great film for kids interested in magical movies.

The story is easy to follow and full of school-age humor, and the two brownies (played by Kevin Pollak and Rick Overton) provide comedy with their slapstick, strange voices, and snappy one-liners. Lucas' fantasy has interesting-looking characters and villages, gothic castles, and, most of all, magic. Don't expect big surprises; it's pretty clear who's good and who's evil. Some kids may want to fast-forward through the fight scenes, but Willow is an excellent choice to give children a taste of fantasy. And hey, if they become fans, they can also watch the TV series, released almost 25 years after the original film.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the characters' choices in Willow. Why did the queen want to kill the baby princess? Why was Willow reluctant to take the baby into his home? Why did Madmartigan help Willow and the baby? What do these choices say about the movie's messages?

  • Talk about the humor in this movie. How can jokes and silly pratfalls lessen the intensity of violence or peril?

  • What parts of the movie are created by actors, and what parts are created by computer effects? How can you tell?

  • How do the characters in Willow demonstrate perseverance and teamwork? What about courage and integrity? Why are these important character strengths?

Movie Details

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Themes & Topics

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